Every once in a while on a regular old Wednesday night in January, you find yourself watching a playoff game. Tonight, from the outset, the intensity is palpable. The crowd mics are turned to 11, because everything shouted on the court can be heard over the air. Both Sam and Chris are wound up. Elton is playing with a gi-normous chip. Even the boneheaded plays are the products of gripping too hard, not sleepwalking. For the most part, everyone plays well; or, rather, nobody plays poorly. Shaun hasn't been able to buy a bucket this past week, but tonight he works on the defensive end and doesn't make any terrible decisions. Mobley isn't much of a factor, but like Shaun, he doesn't hurt the Clips either. Everyone else plays his quintessential game. EB is classically, efficiently EBish, after a ragged start. An irrepressible Sam battles Ricky Davis for control of the game in the game's final eight minutes. Kaman establishes the post early with the hook. And, all night, Corey Maggette works his way to the line, where he goes 11-for-11, though his open j with 4.8 left is the difference-maker.

Dunleavy starts Cassell, Shaun, and Mobley with Brand and Kaman, allowing Cat to take Ricky Davis, leaving Shaun on Hassell. There's a lot of logic to making Shaun the primary help defender and, despite Shaun's cold shooting, I suspect we'll see this lineup a good deal going forward. The Clippers shoot horribly in the first quarter. But turning the ball over only once in a period makes it easier to weather a cold snap. Clearly, the Clippers aren't the defensive ninjas that the Wolves' 36.8% first quarter shooting suggests, but they lock up the Wolves pretty well. There are several basic layers of proficiency to playing sound weak side defense. The first is aggressive, fierce, straight-up man defense --- not letting your guy set himself where he wants to on the court. The second is making the right choice as to whether the strong side demands your help. The third is figuring out exactly when to help, because if you leave too early, then you might leave your guy alone on the floor before it's safe to do; if you wait too long, then you might miss the play and give the ballhandler too much free reign, time, and space. Throughout the first quarter, the Clippers seem to time their rotations almost perfectly, as well as doing a nice job on the S/R.

For the little second quarter comeback run --- until Kaman's ankle begins to become a real problem --- Dunleavy decides to go with size, a Livingston-Maggette-Thomas at the 3-Brand-Kaman lineup. With each team getting seven possessions, the Clippers claw back to tie the game, outscoring the Wolves 6-1. Minnesota's only score comes on a trip to the line by Garnett, where he converts one of two. The other six possessions yield five missed shots and a Shaun Livingston steal. The Clips shut down Minnesota on the glass, allowing zero offensive boards. With the exception of a 20-foot miss from Corey, the Clips use their size to get deep for every shot. Corey doesn't convert a post-up against Davis from inside of six feet, but the position is there and it's a great instinct by Corey. Corey is never defended by his physical equal. When the Clips are in a slow, halfcourt game, he'd be crazy not to post up his guy when he's on the weak side. The next two times down, Thomas destroys Reed in the post, then Kaman embarrasses Blount, who flops gracelessly.

The third quarter is insanely good NBA basketball. A quality product. Garnett's patented double-fake, turnaround, indefensible jumper. Elton's slow boil, driving baseline past KG one-on-one for the natural 3pp at the crucial you-gotta-be-careful moment when the Clippers slip seven down with six minutes left in the third. Someone want to tell me when Mark Blount developed an offensive game? Corey Maggette manufactures four points from the line to keep the Clips even down the stretch in the period.

There's no fitting conclusion to the road trip's travelogue that has this game not coming down to the final possession. Tim Thomas hits his biggest shot in six weeks coming out of the twenty second timeout Sam is forced to call on the baseline under the basket. Sam refuses to allow Ricky Davis to go unanswered, and tells him so. And when the Clips can't directly counter Davis' second consecutive three with one from Thomas, Brand swoops in and grabs the rebound and launches a face-up jumper to quiet the Nords. When the FSN Prime Ticket scorebar and clocks go out, both teams stop scoring.

After Bracey Wright, left alone on the right wing [and why not?], hits a 20-footer to tie the game 88-88 with 3:17, the next point scored is Randy Foye's, courtesy of the worst call of the season. There's nothing to break down here. Everyone saw it: Randy Foye launches himself from a point about four feet below the foul line. Sam stands, solidly positioned --- statue that he is --- about two full feet in front of defender's circle, and is assaulted by Foye. How set is Sam? Let's say this: If you were charged with a free-lance gig putting together an instructional video about the dreaded block-charge call, this is tape you would cut into the "charge" segment. This isn't a middle fifty percentile call given, as tradition has it, to the home team in the closing minutes of a game. This isn't a case of "you can't expect to get that call inside of a minute." This is a textbook charge. No matter who the teams. No matter who the players. No matter how late in the game.

Foye sinks one of two, and the Clips get it back with :52 after Mobley secures the rebound. Corey gets the call, and works a trip to the line out of it, sinking both free throws to put the Clips up one. The return trip for the Wolves is a classic case of take-what-the-defense-gives-you. And if you're a Clippers fan, don't you want Trenton Hassell taking a jumper on the game's decisive possession? I sure do. Okay, maybe not that open, but I'll take that shot over a double-teamed KG face-up jumper from the elbow ten times out of ten, wouldn't you?

Well, of course Hassell hits it, right? I mean, that's the kind of season it's been.

The Clippers will get one last attempt with 25.3. Right off the inbounds, EB sets a strong, high screen for Cassell, then dives to the middle post. He's gets open with about 19.7 seconds, but Cassell has just given it to TT way out on the perimeter. By that time, Blount has caught up with EB and Elton has to repost. TT hands it off to Cat way, way up beyond the arc on the wing, then sets a screen for Cat to drive around. Randy Foye stays with Mobley the whole way. Cat drives to the right elbow and heaves up an awkward runner with about 12.5 to go and it's not close, but --- give him this --- Cat has followed the shot the whole way and he nabs the rebound. He goes up again and gets absolutely hacked. No call. Brand grabs the rock, but he's too far under and too far away to do much of anything. But Corey has shot out to the corner, to the spot on the floor where he made that shot against Miami a couple of years back. Brand finds him and Maggette hits the shot.

Not textbook, but well-earned. Meanwhile, remember that shot the Wolves didn't get? This time, they get it. Brand one-on-one against KG. Garnett has hit this shot a million times. He's hit it against the Clippers in this exact situation. Tonight it's a no-go.

The Clippers beat a quality basketball team on its home floor. They return home and, for the next month or so, have a schedule that will afford them the opportunity to move into the top 8 if they're so inclined.

Posted Wednesday, October 29 at 3:20PM

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Comments

a "TEAM" effort which showed the worth of some of the players. I will loathe the day when and if we lose Corey Magette. Anyone that can go to the stripe almost always at 100% and comes off the bench to be in the top three scorers will be a big loss.

Huge blow to TWolves confidence. And big boost to our hopes. This is the real Clipper team. Surfacing slowly but surely.

Cassell & Corey combined scored 39 points. EB, Cassell & Corey are Clippers BIG THREE. Clippers produce average 60 points from these three on consistant basis. Our coach must pay attention to this fact & reality. Clippers don't have any other player who can score big on consistant basis.
Ignoring Corey & not allowing Cassell to play when we don't have any fire power- highlights our outright ignorance.

Why keep Maggette here? We can't give him what he wants. He wants to start. Play 35+ min. And score 25+ points. Top of that he wants his coach to recognize his talent as a scoring & rebounding machine.

He is not going to get any of those here
with Dunleavy.

This and next season is crucial for his career. He wants to maximize his potential. For him this is not just about playing for Clippers. His future depends upon how & where he plays now and next season.

Probably the best team game the Clippers have played all season. Let's hope it lasts for a while, because if the Clips can protect their home court against Cleveland, we've got a good shot at a long confidence building Corey Maggette keeping streak going here. I love Corey and don't want him traded, but if it is inevitable, then it should be done sooner than later for team chemistry to work out the rest of the season. I hate Dunleavy, but after last night even he can't be that stupid not to rethink trading Corey (well, I hope he can't be that stupid, but I think he is).

Fun to watch again. Really helped to get the victory of course. I think the level of intensity Kevin sensed is a direct result of Cassell's amazing return in the prior game. Just as Cassell set the tone for the whole season in the opener against Seattle last year, he saved the season by killing the Hornets and breathing life back into the team.

When you see the mechanics of how Clips play well and work hard to get the win, the depressing loss to Atlanta makes some sense given the fact that both Sam and Maggette were out. And for me at least it's kind of funny, how a glimmer of Clipper hope combines with reassurance that the Lakers are capapble of being sub-mediocre.

Sam's essential role on the team is obvious right now. MD wants to try the Livingston experiment, now that he's worked through the Thomas experiment briefly, after exhaustive research into QRoss. I doubt Liv will work as the 3--I'd rather see what Luke Jackson does, frankly--and my biggest problem as always is with the double standard, Cassell plays no D and takes bad shots, but clearly has a value, Thomas is mediocre at best and doesn't have a value... what would be the hurt in giving Maggette the minutes and the confidence? I think Cassell would be much better as a true 6th man than Maggs would be, and he's old enough to need the reduced minutes.

Doubtful that Dunleavy will figure this out. Despite hitting one huge three, (and missing two subsequent crucial opportunities) Thomas trying to rotate over on defense and completely missing Hassel was an example of Maggette-level poor defense, that almost cost the Clippers the game.

The team has 3 genuine scorers: Brand, Maggette, and Cassell. One of them is 37. Mobley, Thomas, Ross, Liv, Kaman, Singleton etc., are all valuable complementary players.

Let's give credit to our Coach for bringing best out of Maggette. Eventually Maggette will feel grateful to his coach for pushing his limits without saying a word.

Dunleavy has clear vision for his team. He has 4 more years to make this team an exceptional storyline in NBA history. We like this team because Dunleavy chose all the players including Maggette. He has total confidence in Maggette. Now, Maggette needs to show, that he has total confidence in his Coach.

Cassell -3.
Livingston +2.
There are definitely two sides of the court.

Better put up my hating deflector I guess...

I'm not saying that Cassell wasnt crucial or cluth or anything last night. Just before we start lusting, lets point that out.

I really liked starting Livvy and Sam. I haven't liked them playing together in the past, but maybe something has evolved where that works now. I also really liked the big lineup out there. Definitely a fine piece in the chess match.

I didn't see anything in that game that indicated to me that Dunleavy wants to lose Corey or even that Corey wants to be gone. Truly a bizarre situation, right up to Corey's goofy little fist pump arm raise thing.

Houston, Orlando & Kings didn't know how good Mobley was. I am sure, Mobley is thankful to Clippers for their confidence in him. Now, deliver Mr.Cat. Be aggressive & productive. Atleast deliver those 3-pointers on consistant basis. Clippers signed you thinking you're a long range specialist.

We order. We Pay. But goods hasn't been delivered as advertised. That's our Mobley.

All the more reason for Mobley to be the 6th man. He even volunteered for it. You have Livinston for defense on the starting 5 and Mobley for a shot of offense along with defense on the 2nd squad along with TT and Ross for more defense and a fairly reliable mid range shooter. Sam, Livy and Maggette have to start along with EB and the caveman. If the caveman is off we go to TT and a small lineup.

Jerry, You can't alter DNA, Webber would look like a jerk in red, white & blue. Those colors also happen to be on the national flag of a certain big guy from serbia/mon, whom I'd prefer to wear the colors. When will he come back?
And if colors are your game, how about blue and white? I hear Clips hold rights on a Baby Shaq in Greece....

How long is Kaman out with the ankle injury? And you've got to hand it to Maggette: even though he wants to leave, he's still playing pretty hard. Some guys would tank if a trade was just around the corner.

Not to dump on Maggette, who had the best game of all Clips against the Wolves, but did anyone hear EB on 710 radio the other day. I think Fred Roggin was talking with him. EB was pretty clear but diplomatic that Maggette wasn't rotating on D (especially on the perimter) and was making the other players work harder on the floor to cover the ball. If anyone knows Maggette, it's EB. He's played with him more than any other Clipper and played with him at Duke. Of course, Maggette does score a lot when he's not being called for a charge, getting stripped, or injuring his ankle while being out of control.

He also said:
"All the speculation and all the trade talk aside, when Corey Maggette plays like that, that's our unit right there," Brand said. "Down the stretch, he played great minutes …. He's been so professional with all these rumors and all this talk.

"I don't make the decisions. I don't know how pressing the situation is, what's going on behind the scenes and if [a trade is] going to happen. But when he plays like that … work it out."

I'm thinking that EB and Corey will be friends regardless, and friends aren't going to bad mouth friends if at all possible.

Friends, father figures, uncles all that emotional burdens to deal with. Maggette needs to get out of this mess and play where he can just play his game. His coach has no interest? Fine. Let him go. His friends in this team don't even know what he can do? Great! All Maggette needs do right now.. is simply stick with his trade demands. Nothing more. Nothing less.

He is not going to re-sign with us even if we like him. He wants go. And he'll go. One of the rock bottom teams will sign him for a 6-year, $65 million contract once his current contract expires. Frankly, he's beyond our reach. Not utilizing him when you have him for cheaper price tag... is just plain insane behavior.

His productivity & durablity are priceless qualities in NBA. He is tough. He is normal. And he is reliable. Those are enviable qualities which AI, T-Mac, Artest, Vince Carter etc... lack.

Dave, u love maggette, we get it. the problem is u seem to neglect his flaws altogether. MP's assessment is dead-on. i think maggette should start too, despite his limitations. but i know he'll just be an improvement over mobley, and not the savior of the clips' season. i'm really befuddled by maggette's inability to play within a scheme, both offensively and defensively. he seems to just freelance on both ends of the floor. if he gets traded, i wish him the best. if he stays a clipper this season, i will cheer for him. but i refuse to make excuses for him when he launches an ill-advised 20ft jumper, or misses a simple defensive rotation, or goes 1v5 to commit an offensive foul, or...u get the point.

If Maggette doesn't fit in to the Clippers scheme then trade him, but why did they have to make it so public? All they did is lower his value by letting other GM's that they didn't want him. Usually the Clips are pretty quiet about what is happening behind the scenes. This time they blew it. If we can get a shooter who is capable of playing D and getting about 15 pts./game maybe that will make up for Maggette's offensive production and his shortcomings on defense and his sometimes out of control play. I like him but he does have his plusses and minuses.

Maggette has gone public with wanting to be traded (a long time ago) and Dunleavy has said he doesn't want him around (a long time ago)...so it's a failed relationship. Corey needs to go to a coach and system that will help him flourish. Period. The relationship is sour.

No matter who the player is, has to give in to Coaching staff & listen. If Coaching staff can't talk to a player, then it's waste of time for both parties involved. We have seen this with Chris Wilcox. Maggette forgot to leave his pride at home & just be a player the team wants him to be.

He pays too much attention to his strength and ignores flaws. If Kobe is willing to listen(hard to do if you are Kobe) why not Maggette?

I can't believe he's not listening to the coaches. He has flaws but he's no Kobe in ability or in ego and stubborness. If he's not making it happen it's probably the flaw in his BB IQ and his on court decision making. I've never heard a word concerning his attitude toward the coaching staff. Just the opposite. He's known as a good citizen.